China

Is the honeymoon between Apple and China really over? After what seemed like the start of a beautiful, not to mention profitable, relationship, Apple has been hit with setback after setback in the notoriously impenetrable Chinese market. For this latest round, it is being sued by Movie Satellite Channel Program Production Center, a subsidiary of the country's media regulator, for allegedly streaming a "propaganda" film hailing from 1994. The odd part is that Apple isn't the one streaming the said film but simply one of the apps available from its iTunes App Store.

China's ever-present grip on the Internet and everything related to it just got a little tighter. In an effort to crackdown on popular media, mobile game developers must get their games pre-approved by the Chinese government before launching them in the nation. The rule went into effect today, though it was first announced in early June. To avoid running afoul of the new regulations, developers must submit their games to China’s State Administration of Press, Publications, Radio, Film and Television, more commonly called “SAPPRFT," at least 20 days before launch.

The next Samsung smartphone with an S Pen has appeared in a new set of specs leaked from microblogger "I Ice". This new set of specifications seems to confirm several of the more important details we'd been told in the past, like a 5.7-inch display with Super AMOLED technology. That same display is tipped to have 2K resolution (that's 2560 x 1800, like the Galaxy Note 5), and will come in two iterations - one with an Edge, one without.

Chinese authorities have launched new regulations for the nation's search engines and the results they display to internet users. But as a country with some of the tightest controls over the internet, its use, and what information people have access to, China's new rules are actually beneficial for its citizens. Under the new rules, search engines are required to identify paid ads within search results, as well as verify advertisers.

In an announcement that should surprise nobody, Xiaomi has entered another new market with an electric bicycle. It's called the Mi Qicycle Electric Folding Bike, and it's just launched this morning in Beijing, China. According to Xiaomi's Vincent Khoo, "Xiaomi is not a smartphone company, but we are a technology company. Why not enter another field such as transportation?" This bike folds up, runs on a rather massive battery, and comes with its own app.

Over the weekend, Apple was almost dealt a fatal blow in China. The Beijing Intellectual Patent Office ruled that Apple's iPhone 6 infringed on patents held by a certain company named Shenzhen Baili, which would have meant sales of the smartphone would need to be suspended. Apple gained a slight reprieve while the ruling gets reviewed. Now it would seem that the company that sued it, as well as its parent company Digione, might not exactly be what they say, with Shenzhen Baili barely existing as a "flesh and blood" company.

It's no secret that eating meat contributes to climate change; environmentalists and more have long urged the world's citizens to reduce the amount of meat they eat, replacing it with food that is more sustainable and easier on the planet. China recently issued revised dietary guidelines that reflect this, and it could lead to a drastic reduction in the nation's emissions related to meat consumption.

This morning the folks at Xiaomi have released their long-awaited "Mi Drone" to the masses in two editions. You'll find one version coming with a camera capable of capturing 1080p video, and one with a camera ready for full 4K. Mi Drone's more high-end version costs just a bit more than the lower end, and the lower end version will be "crowdfunded on the Mi Home app" starting on the 26th of May, 2016. And yes, that is very weird.

The folks at Xiaomi are set to reveal their first drone - at last. We've seen teasers for this device for what seems like months, having suspected that the device might come out as early as late last year. Now the company has all but confirmed the appearance of this device at their event this week. It's been tipped that several models will be introduced, the most of expensive of which will be in line with some of the more reasonably priced high-end personal drones - right around $600 USD.

Minecraft may have captured the imaginations of gamers old and young, as well found a place in educational environments, around the world, but there's one significant population that still doesn't have access to the game: the people of China. Fortunately that's about to change, as developer Mojang and franchise owner Microsoft have announced that Minecraft will be launching in China thanks to a five-year partnership with NetEase, a local internet company.

ZTE is set to launch a new flagship smartphone in China this month. The launch event will be held on May 26. The name many expected the device to go by was the ZTE Axon 2, which would follow the company’s traditional naming convention. According to the invites that have gone out to Chinese media, the flagship device launched at the show will be called the Axon 7.

For years now, people have been speculating on Apple's more formal entry into the automotive business, especially after Google revealed its self-driving car project. But while Cupertino remains coy on that matter, it is entering the industry through yet another door. It has just invested $1 billion in a Chinese company named Didi Chuxing, formerly Didi Kuaidi. While practically unheard of overseas, this company is seen to have single-handedly threatened Uber's dominance in the ride-hailing service market. And, quite surprisingly, Apple suddenly seems to want a piece of that as well.